Safflower decorticator



Sept. 24, 1963 F. o. DAVIS ETAL 3,104,692

SAFFLOWER DECORTICATOR Filed Feb. 26, 1962 I 2 Sheets-Sheet l United States, Patent O This invention relates to a decor-ticator for removing the skin from seeds such as safilower seeds.

Seeds of this nature are first hulled, or have their outercovering removed, and are then either sent to a press to extract oil or the oil is removed with a solvent, such as, for example, hexane.

One of the objects of the invention is to produce a machine which will efficiently and cleanly remove the outer covering or hull from safllower seeds.

Another object is to provide -a machine which will cut the outer hull and then remove it so that the hulls can be screened from the meat and the meat then subjected to oil extraction processes.

Another object is to provide a machine of the type above mentioned which will not clog up with oil or pulpy parts of the plant seeds and in which the pulp is continuously removed from the working parts which remove the hul'ls from the seeds.

Another object is to provide a machine in which the critical operating parts are supported so that if large solid objects are accidentally introduced no damage will result.

Still another object is to provide a machine of the type described having decorticating rolls which have surfaces provided with a continuous thread of V-form operating within predetermined close limits so that the crests of the thread will contact the outer coating of seeds deposited in a hopper above the rolls.

Other objects will appear hereinafter.

We retain the foregoing objects by means of the mechanism, devices and parts shown in the accompanying drawings, in which- FIGURE 1 is a plan view of the decorticating machine;

FIGURE 2 is an end elevational view of said machine;

FIGURE 3 is a side elevational left side of the machine as shown in FIGURE 1;

FIGURE 4 is a vertical section of the machine taken substantially on line 4-4 of FIGURE 3; and

FIGURE 5 is a vertical section of a portion of the left end of the machine as viewed in FIGURE 4 with the sections showing the interior of the 'decorticating rolls and the revolving cleaning brushes.

Similar numerals refer to similar parts in the several views.

The body 5 of the machine has in general a frame 2 which includes end plates 3 and 4 closing the left and right ends, respectively, of the machine body 5 and the hopper 6. The hopper 6 is positioned above decorticating rolls 7 and 8. These rolls are supported on shafts 9 and 10, respectively, and these shafts are journalled in bearings 12, I13, 14 and '15 in the end plates 3 and 4, respectively. In the machine, herein illustrated, these bearings are of the replaceable roller bearing type. Rolls 7 and S are held and centered on shafts 9 and by removable expansion hubs 16. The hubs are of two part construction and the inner or expanding portion 17 is attached by cap screws 18 to the outer expanding part 1 9. This construction permits the cap screws to be removed and the inner part .17 withdrawn and shrunk so that each of the hubs may be removed and roller shell 21 of each roll removed from the shaft and eventually from the frame 2. These cylinder shells may be of one piece, as shown, or may consist of several pieces held on a cylindrical core (not shown) so that they may be removed as comparatively small parts for grinding or tempering.

3,104,692 Patented Sept. 24, 1963 On the outer surface of each roll there is a continuous thread. This is indicated by numeral 23 for roll 7, and 24 for roll 8. The size, depth and thread form of these threads may be varied to suit the material which will be introduced into the machine. The threads may be of any pitch desired or there may be multiple threads. This is optional so long as the threads are continuous; Both rolls are threaded with threads of the same hand. Pitch may vary from one roll in relation to the other roll.

The bearings journalling the shafts of the rolls are set so that there is a clearance between the crests of the threads of each roll a predetermined width. This clearance is indicated by the letter A (FIGURE 4). Clearance A leaves a space B through which the soft meaty part of the seeds may drop .to space C below the rolls.

On the shafts driving the rolls, we provide V-belt pul- 'leys 30 and 31. These are driven by V-belt 32 which runs over an idler -33 and is driven by pulley 34 on motor 35 at a predetermined speed which may be varied according to the material treated. 7

Within body 5, and separately journalled on'bearings in the ends 3 and 4 of the body, there are rotary cleaning brushes 40 and 41. These comprise a core 42, onto which a plurality of brushes 47 extend longitudinally and parallel with the axis ofthe respective shafts 50 and 511 which support the brushes. The brushes include radial bristles 5-3 which are disposed in lines to contact the surfaces of the respective rollers 7 and '8 and are long enough to extend into the thread roots. The bristles are of a type which will extend into and reach the thread roots and remove pulp and other accumulated material. The rotary brushes turn in a direction which will remove the material from the threads in the most efiective manner. Thus, in the machine, as viewed in FIGURE 4, roll 7 turns in a clockwise direction, and rotary brush 40 also turns in a clockwise direction. The bristles of the brushes on this assembly bear on the under side of roll 7. This rotary motion tends to throw any material removed fromthe surface of the rollers into the central area C, below the roll. Conversely, roll 8 turns in a counter-clockwise direction and so does rotary brush 41. The bristles of this brush also hear on the underside of roll 8. This motion also throws material removed from the roll into the central portion C.

Should a rock or other hard object be inadvertently introduced into the hopper, the bearings 12 and 13 may be set in spring loaded cases. One such spring is shown at 5 8 in FIGURE 2. A similar spring is attached on the opposite side plate. It is to be understood that one of the rolls only need be resiliently mounted in this manner. To maintain the desired clearance between the surfaces of the rolls a stop screw, such as 60 is attached to each end plate. The screw bears on the lug portion 62 of the pivoted bearing holder 12. The bearing ho1ders 12 and 14 are pivoted at G to allow outward adjustment movement in elongated holes 61 in the end plates 3 and 4, respectively. This allows adjustment between the threaded surfaces of the rollers.

In use, seeds to be decorticated are dropped into hopper 6 at a rate so that there is a continuous feed or flow of seeds into space A. Meanwhile the motor D turns the rolls 7 and 8 in the directions indicated, and also indicated by arrows E on the belts and operating parts in FIGURE 2. The crests of the threads on the surfaces of the rolls cut into the covering or hull of the seeds, but the rolls are positioned far enough apart so that the seed meats are not cut deeply or crushed between them. Note that since both rolls have threads of the same hand and since the rolls turn in opposite directions, there is a criss-cross cutting action between the crests of the threads of opposite rollers. This action is very eifective in cutting and removing the hulls of seeds from the meat of the seeds. That is, each seed is cut and then dropped into the space C.

The action of the threads on the seeds is that of cutting, slicing and not mashing.

The mass of material collected in the space C may then be conveyed by any conventional means to a mechanical vibrating screener. This device (not shown) will easily separate the hulls from the meats after they are decorticated as above explained. The screened meats may then be pressed to remove the oil they contain or they may be dropped into a solvent which will extract the oil and which may later be separated by evaporation.

The above described machine makes it possible to decorticate, screen and extract oil from such seeds as safflower seeds, and the like, in a very efiicient manner.

We claim:

1. A machine for removing skin hull from safflower seeds, comprising a machine body composed of a body having sides and end plates forming a rectangular hopper opening at the top, a deposit opening at the bottom, a, pair of decorticating rollers supported on shafts journalled in bearings removably attached to said end plates,

the hearings on at least one of said rolls being slidably the opposite rolls close to but out of contact with each, other to contact and cut the hulls of seeds passing be- I tween said rolls; mechanism for rotating said rolls so that their top surfaces move towardeach other.

a 2. The machine described in claim 1 in combination with rotary cleaning brushes operating in said case body parallel to and below said roller, respectively, each brush having substantially radially extending bristles to contact the threads on the surface of the adjacent roll above it; and mechanism for rotating said brushes so that their top surfaces turn inwardly toward each other.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 93,124 Rose et al July 27, 1-869 252,705 Stevens I an. 24, 1882 286,973 Titus Oct. 16, 1883 

1. A MACHINE FOR REMOVING SKIN HULL FROM SAFFLOWER SEEDS, COMPRISING A MACHINE BODY COMPOSED OF A BODY HAVING SIDES AND END PLATES FORMING A RECTANGULAR HOPPER OPENING AT THE TOP, A DEPOSIT OPENING AT THE BOTTOM, A PAIR OF DECORTICATING ROLLERS SUPPORTED ON SHAFTS JOURNALLED IN BEARINGS REMOVABLY ATTACHED TO SAID END PLATES, THE BEARINGS ON AT LEAST ONE OF SAID ROLLS BEING SLIDABLY ADJUSTABLE IN A HORIZONTAL PLANE WITH REFERENCE TO THE OTHER ROLL AND CONNECTED TO SPRINGS TO RESILIENTLY URGE THE BEARINGS AND ROLLER TOWARD THE OTHER ROLLER, STOPS ON SAID END PLATES TO LIMIT MOVEMENT OF THE BEARINGS TOWARD SAID OTHER ROLLER AND PROVIDE A SPACE BETWEEN THEIR ADJACENT SURFACES; SAID ROLLERS HAVING V FORM THREADS ON THEIR OUTER SURFACES WITH THE CRESTS OF THE THREADS OF THE OPPOSITE ROLLS CLOSE TO BUT OUT OF CONTACT WITH EACH OTHER TO CONTACT AND CUT THE HULLS OF SEEDS PASSING BETWEEN SAID ROLLS; MECHANISM FOR ROTATING SAID ROLLS SO THAT THEIR TOP SURFACES MOVE TOWARD EACH OTHER. 